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O-Line: Hits on Big Ben will stop

Thursday, September 18, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers detest seeing Ben Roethlisberger bounced around in the pocket with what they feel are late and illegal hits and promise to handle it one way or another.
"A lot of us as a line feel we have to protect him a little more outside the whistle," tackle Willie Colon said yesterday. "Guys are going to take shots at him and try to knock him down. He makes us run, so if we see stuff like that we have to kind of be there and get after guys who try to do stuff like that. I'm going to be looking for it, especially this Sunday."
Roethlisberger, who went through a full practice yesterday, has been sacked five times and has a slight separated right shoulder because of one. That's bad enough, but he also has been hit twice on questionable calls not involving a sack. One occurred late in the first half against Houston when defensive tackle Amobi Okoye hit him low, causing a slightly hyperextended knee. Hitting quarterbacks low is illegal in the NFL, but no flag was thrown on that play.

Next

Game: Steelers (2-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1).

When: 4:15 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.

TV: KDKA.

The line: Eagles by 3.

The skinny: The Steelers are 0-7 in Philadelphia since winning there in 1965.Bruised already

Then Sunday, Cleveland's 350-pound nose tackle Shaun Rogers slammed into Roethlisberger well after he threw a pass. No flag was thrown on that play either, which incensed some of his teammates. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley was penalized earlier in the game for hitting Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson just as he released the ball.
"I saw that, now that was very late," guard Kendall Simmons said of Rogers' hit.
"How can you not see Shaun Rogers make a hit like that?" Colon wondered about the officials who called no penalty. "Especially before the game when Andra Davis was saying he'll take the fine?"
Davis, the Browns' middle linebacker, was quoted Saturday in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he and his teammates had to rough up Roethlisberger even if it meant doing so against the rules.
"This game, we've just got to not worry about fines or late hits or whatever the referee is going to do," Davis told the Plain-Dealer. "We've just got to go out and get him down because you know they take care of the quarterbacks in this league. But we've just got to put that behind us. If we get fined, we get fined. We've just got to make sure we get the job done."
Said Colon: "You hear remarks like that, you kind of take it personally. I know I do. We just have to be able to keep him as clean as possible and make sure there's nothing really dirty going on."
The Steelers have sent a video clip of the Rogers hit to the league office.
"When Woodley hit Derek Anderson, I don't think it was particularly late," Hines Ward said. "But they made the call. You'd just like to see it called both ways. It definitely wasn't.
"What can you do? You turn it into the league and you hope the league comes back and judges it. But for us, we definitely want to protect our quarterback as much as possible. That's why it's so important for us as a unit to try to keep as many hits off him as possible."
No one in the NFL has been sacked as often as Roethlisberger the past two seasons. He was sacked 46 times in 2006 and 47 last season, second and third most in franchise history.
Five sacks in two games projects to 40 for the season, down slightly, but his percentage of sacks are higher. Last season, counting sacks, he dropped back to pass 451 times and was sacked 10.42 percent of the time. This season, he dropped back 38 times and has been sacked 13.15 percent.
Now comes the blitzing defense of the Philadelphia Eagles, who will go after Roethlisberger with everything they have.
"Oh, of course, no doubt about that," Simmons said. "So there will probably be a couple of skirmishes in there. I can guarantee that. That's part of it."The linemen, though, say they are prepared to do whatever it takes to protect Roethlisberger the rest of the way."You do whatever you have to do, if they want to take it to that step," Simmons said. "I'm not the type of guy to play dirty, that has never been my issue, but you don't sit there and let your guy get beat up on. You protect him. If they want to go after the whistle, then you do it and let the referees decide on what's going to happen after that because they can't let it happen, they have to do something about it.""He's taken some shots," Colon said. "For the most part, you can't help worry about him. He's a key factor for our success this year."Hopefully they'll be clean about it. If not, as a line we have to protect him a lot more outside the whistle."

Now tell me that doesn't get you fired up! This is what I've been waiting for! The offensive line that is mean, nasty, tough, and takes no **** from anybody no matter who you are. Ben is the QB and their job is to protect him. If somebody takes a shot at Ben they better be there to protect him and it sounds like they've finally had enough.

Feneca leaving might have been the best thing for the O-line.
Seems like everybody has stepped up instead of standing in the shadows of an over the hill whiner who's play on the field was subpar the last few seasons.
I'm liking what I'm reading, and more important, I'm liking what I'm seeing on the field with the guys in the trenches.

This is music to my ears. After Sunday night's game, I asked myself why none of the offensive linemen ever stand up for Ben. It's about time the front five came around to the fact that our franchise QB -- the guy who makes the team go -- is taking cheap shots from several of our opponents. (By the way, if Ben is really "not as good as we think," then why are so many opposing defenses going out of their ways to get a shot on him?)

I'd like to see what Chris Kemoeatu does to that fat bitch Shaun Rogers next time we play the Browns -- provided we're not resting our starters in preparation for the playoffs by that point.

this article kind of reminds me of one of my friends. he is really overweight and knows it. he, on occasion, when the "mood" hits him right, will get a little fired up about losing weight. he'll tell me, "I'M SICK OF IT! I'M STARTING TOMORROW! I'LL BE AT THE GYM EVERY DAY AND WILL RUN EVERY MORNING!!" but when "tomorrow" comes, he has slept in without running only to wake up and fire up some nice, fat bacon, eggs, sausage, and pancakes. losing weight is all put to the wayside. but he DID feel good the day before when he was "fired" up about losing weight.

are you all seeing where i'm going with this? i don't want any more talk from this ****ing o line. i want results. IF THESE GUYS WANNA PLAY GRAB ***, I'LL PUT ON A UNIFORM AND GO BANG HEADS. let's see if this o line can back up the talk or if they wake up on sunday eating bacon, eggs, sausage, and pancakes forgetting to protect ben.

I can't remember anyone on the OL in recent memory every coming up and saying something like this so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and take them at their word. If Simmons & Colon are coming out and saying it then Im sure it's all over their meeting rooms as well. Kemoeatu, Simmons, and Colon all have nasty streaks in them that haven't come out much in the past, now maybe we'll finally get to see it more often. I want to see these guys come up and punch people in the mouth, kick, scratch, jab, do whatever it takes to get the job done and if someone lays a cheap shot on Ben then go over knock him the hell out! Lines are supposed to be big, mean, nasty, grunts who don't care what people think and pretty much hate everyone so let's see them play like that!

I can't remember anyone on the OL in recent memory every coming up and saying something like this so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and take them at their word. If Simmons & Colon are coming out and saying it then Im sure it's all over their meeting rooms as well. Kemoeatu, Simmons, and Colon all have nasty streaks in them that haven't come out much in the past, now maybe we'll finally get to see it more often. I want to see these guys come up and punch people in the mouth, kick, scratch, jab, do whatever it takes to get the job done and if someone lays a cheap shot on Ben then go over knock him the hell out! Lines are supposed to be big, mean, nasty, grunts who don't care what people think and pretty much hate everyone so let's see them play like that!

ya, you're right....BUT... THE O-LINE IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT BEN BEFORE THE PLAY TOO! who gives a shiat if they wanna fight after the whistle is blown?? it's too late and ben is already laying on the ground from being hit DURING the play.

Sounds like we might be shooting ourselves in the foot on offesnse. All it takes is one penalty called on us for unsportsman-like conduct, just one, and we will have lost that battle two different ways. One, because they still put Ben in the turf, and two, cause we lost yards on the penalty.

I think this was a fine piece of lip-service by our beloved offensive line. Coach Tomlin asked someone to step up. But ultimatley, its still the same guys playing the line, they're just talking tough now. Proof is in the pudding. (whatever that means )

Sounds like we might be shooting ourselves in the foot on offesnse. All it takes is one penalty called on us for unsportsman-like conduct, just one, and we will have lost that battle two different ways. One, because they still put Ben in the turf, and two, cause we lost yards on the penalty.

I think this was a fine piece of lip-service by our beloved offensive line. Coach Tomlin asked someone to step up. But ultimatley, its still the same guys playing the line, they're just talking tough now. Proof is in the pudding. (whatever that means )